The delightfully nutty art collector Matthew Sutton sat down with us here at Lobster Roll to discuss Dali, and all his quirks. Q. Would you say that Dali’s work flowed into his love for dinner parties? A.Dali was a man of extreme opulence with bombastic opinions and a lover for all things excess. I recall he once stated that he woke up extremely happy that he was Salvador Dali and would ask himself what crazy thing he would do that day, I think that shows a lot about his mentality. Although he was a deeply disturbed man, filled with anxieties. Anyways the man was famously kooky. Keeping anteaters for pets and driving cars full of cauliflowers.
I wouldn’t expect anything less for Dali
to have an extreme love for food and I would be deeply disappointed if he didn’t host the most outrageous dinner parties. Q. Why do you think his artwork capture the hearts of so many? A.Dali is a surrealist artist, he takes things that many only see in their dreams and he plucks them out and places them on the canvas.
This is very appealing to many, especially in the times that Dali was at his peak, just after the second world war, before the times of television. I also feel that Dali was an exceptional self-promoter and in turn made himself a pop culture icon, I feel that Dali himself captured the hearts of so many. Not solely his art. Q. Towards the end, many accused him of being a sell-out, do you agree? A. The man, although a worldrenowned artist, knew business very well. He knew how to make himself a brand and to make himself relevant. Who am I to brand him as a sell-out he defiantly loved the celebrity lifestyle that he had towards the end of his career. Does that take away from the beauty of his work? Was he a flamboyant fool? Does any of this matter? He is Dali.